Near-Infrared Synchrotron Emission from the Compact Jet of GX 339–4

By Stéphane Corbel, Robert P. Fender. 2002

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We have compiled contemporaneous broadband observations of the black hole candidate X-ray binary GX 339-4 when in the low/hard X-ray state in 1981 and 1997. The data clearly reveal the presence of two spectral components, with thermal and nonthermal spectra, overlapping in the optical-near-infrared bands. The nonthermal component lies on an extrapolation of the radio spectrum of the source, and we interpret it as optically thin synchrotron emission from the powerful, compact jet in the system. Detection of this break from self-absorbed to optically thin synchrotron emission from the jet allows us to place a firm lower limit on the ratio of jet (synchrotron) to X-ray luminosities of ≥5%. We further note that extrapolation of the optically thin synchrotron component from the near-infrared to higher frequencies coincides with the observed X-ray spectrum, supporting models in which the X-rays could originate via optically thin synchrotron emission from the jet (possibly instead of Comptonization).

Subfields: Astronomy and Astrophysics, Nuclear and High Energy Physics

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/b92780f6256a0100b0cb07c106b12ec5cc9eb36e

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Citations in the corpus

Rapid optical and X-ray timing observations of GX 339-4: multi-component optical variability in the low/hard state (2010, background): “…jet plasma, or nonrelativistic cyclosynchrotron from a corona are all proposed as giving rise to the optical flux (e.g. di Matteo et al. 1999; Corbel & Fender 2002; Homan et al. 2005), while the X-rays are thought to originate as a result of Compton upscattering of seed photons either from…”
Multiwavelength Observations of the 2002 Outburst of GX 339–4: Two Patterns of X-Ray-Optical/Near-Infrared Behavior (2005, background): “Possible contributors to the I, V bands are thermal emission from an accretion disk or even irradiation of the outer disk or companion star, as suggested by Corbel & Fender (2002).”
Global optical/infrared-X-ray correlations in X-ray binaries: quantifying disc and jet contributions (2006, background): “…(19) Jain et al. (2001a); (20) Jain et al. (2001b); (21) Buxton, Bailyn & Maitra (2005a); (22) Hynes et al. (1998); (23) Chaty et al. (2002); (24) Corbel & Fender (2002); (25) Homan et al. (2005); (26) Sekiguchi & van Wyk (1993); (27) Allen & Jones (1993); (28) Allen & Gilmore (1993); (29)…”
Fast infrared variability from a relativistic jet in GX 339-4 (2010, background): “Recently it has been shown that also the infrared (IR) emission includes a substantial contribution from the relativistic jet, in the hard states of XBs (e.g. Corbel & Fender 2002; Malzac, Merloni & Fabian 2004; Russell, Fender & Jonker ?”
Jet-dominated states: an alternative to advection across black hole event horizons in ‘quiescent’ X-ray binaries (2003, methodology): “Fender (2001) and Corbel & Fender (2002) conservatively estimate LJ/LX ≥ 0.05 for Cyg X-1 and GX 339-4 at an accretion luminosity of LX ∼ 10 −2.”
A universal radio-X-ray correlation in low/hard state black hole binaries (2003, background): “…for a turnover in the infrared–optical band, where the flat–to–inverted radio spectrum seems to connect to an optically thin component extending up to the X–rays (Corbel & Fender 2002; Markoff et al. 2003a,b and references therein), suggesting again that the jet plays a role at higher frequencies.”
A Unified Model for Black Hole X-Ray Binary Jets? (2004, unknown): “…2003; McClintock & Remillard 2004) there is a ‘compact’ selfabsorbed jet which manifests itself as a ‘flat’ (spectral indexα ∼ 0 whereα = ∆log Sν/∆ log ν) or ‘inverted’ (α ≥ 0) spectral com- ponent in the radio, millimetre and (probably) infrared bands (e.g. Fender 2001b, Corbel & Fender 2002).”
Going with the Flow: Can the Base of Jets Subsume the Role of Compact Accretion Disk Coronae? (2005, background): “In the only XRB where the optically thick-to-thin turnover from compact jet synchrotron has been directly observed (GX 339 4; Corbel & Fender 2002; Homan et al. 2005), it occurs at a significantly lower frequency than would be expected if the acceleration began in the jet base.”
Radiatively efficient accreting black holes in the hard state: the case study of H1743-322 (2011, background): “…wavelengths (see e.g., Hjellming & Johnston 1981; Mirabel & Rodriguez 1994; Fender 2006) though it can sometimes dominate the low-frequency emission up to the near infrared (Corbel et al. 2001; Jain et al. 2001; Corbel & Fender 2002; Homan et al. 2005; Russell et al. 2006; Coriat et al. 2009).”
The 'universal' radio/X-ray flux correlation : the case study of the black hole GX 339-4 (2012, background): “…jets (Blandford & Königl 1979), the jet emission is characterized by a flat to inverted spectrum from the radio up to a turnover frequency, that is estimated to be in the mid to near-infrared range for Galactic BHs (Corbel & Fender 2002; Coriat et al. 2009; Gandhi et al. 2011; Rahoui et al. 2011).”
On the Origin of Radio Emission in the X-Ray States of XTE J1650–500 during the 2001-2002 Outburst (2004, background): “As illustrated in GX 339−4 and XTE J1550−564, the spectrum of the compact jet extends to shorter wavelengths, with a transition to optically thin regime in near infrared (Corbel et al. 2001; Corbel & Fender 2002).”
Radio/X-ray correlation in the low/hard state of GX 339-4 (2003, background): “It has already been pointed out for GX 339−4 that the near infrared/optical bands show a spectral break that may indicate that the X-ray spectrum is an extension of the optically thin synchrotron emission from the compact jet (Corbel & Fender 2002).”